Hello all. For a while I’ve considered myself an agnostic atheist, however lately I’m having a hard time identifying with that title. The biggest reason is this: is the universe convenient for life?

I have read the Douglas Adam’s comparison of the puddle. I’m not arguing evolution or the big bang or anything like that, I completely agree with those theories.

But what I am trying to say is this: take, for example, a shower. A shower is made up of many different parts, which are made of many different materials. These materials are made of a combination of elements, from carbon to hydrogen to iron. In order for a shower to work, it requires, for example, water, pressure, and gravity.

Now, was the universe inherently created so that we could use these elements, use these forces of nature to our benefit? Such as building and using a shower?

Look around you. Nearly everything you see in the room you are occupying has been made by man, using materials from the universe. The paint on the walls, the wooden frame of the walls, and glass of the windows and light bulbs. The leather of the chair, and the plastic mouse you are using to navigate your computer, which is powered by electricity.

From my reasoning, I guess, all of this seems convenient. A bit too convenient. Almost as if something had arranged the laws and matter of our universe to work not only to keep the universe running, but to also allow us to make use of the laws and matter given to us. To make tools, build shelter, and eventually reach the stage of a full-fledged civilization, complete with communication methods, transportation, entertainment, and more. All of this is possible because of the makeup of the universe. The way the atoms of matter interact with one another. The fact that the universe is even here to begin with seems to be a bit of a “miracle”.

Thoughts? I appreciate all responses.

Posted: July 26th 2014

EXSTEN

I do not think the universe was created with showers and computers in mind, since in fact showers and computers were created by us to deal with (or optimize) the way the universe just happens to be.

I think the real question is why it’s possible for this universe to exist at all, and whether we “lucked out” and got this universe out of all the other possibilities that do not contain consciousness, reasoning, showers and computers.

I for one do not know the answer. But if it turned out that our universe was vastly improbable, and that it nonetheless came about (I’m not sure how you prove this, but supposing it anyway), what then? If that were the only trace God left of himself, it would be just as if he weren’t there.

You might say that Evolution by Natural Selection works by throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. Most of “it” doesn’t stick, but since the experiment is repeated ad infinitum, it all adds up over the millennia. If the universe was “different”, how would we know? We have only this universe, no other universe for comparison.

Eric_PK

We know that for life to be possible, the universe must be conducive to life, so it’s no surprise that our universe is like this. That’s the anthropic principle. We have one example of a universe where life is possible.

What we don’t know is what – if anything – controls the way a universe behaves. We might be the only universe. Or there might be countless universes, each with different physical constants. Or maybe all universes must be exactly like ours.

We don’t know, and I’m okay with that. I don’t see any reason to posit some sort of designer.

It seems like you already know the answer to this question, since you mentioned Adams’ puddle. Maybe you just need to follow it through a little bit more.

Like the puddle, you seem to be assuming that nature might have been designed so that the laws we’ve developed to describe and take advantage of it would be true. Of course, that’s the exact opposite of the fact of it. There is no ideal set of physical laws for a universe. Our technology and observations come from the way our universe happens to be, not the reverse. If we lived in a universe with different laws, we, our science, and our technology would be radically different, because all would have evolved and been developed under that different set of laws.

So, in a sense, I suppose it is convenient that our tools and tech use the laws we have to work with, and it is by design, but it’s by OUR design, having created them to take advantage of the laws we have discovered exist!